Introduction
Yaron Herman (Hebrew: ירון הרמן; born 12 July 1981) is a French-Israeli jazz pianist now living in Paris.
Biography
Yaron initially aspired to become a professional basketball player but, confronted with a knee injury at the age of 16 was forced to come up with an alternative plan.
He began playing the piano at the age of 16.
He began piano lessons with jazz musician Opher Brayer, who taught him using a unique methodology based on philosophy, mathematics and psychology. Two years later, Yaron earned the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music’s "Junior talent" award. At age 19, he moved to the United States. At age 21, he recorded his first album, Takes 2 to Know 1 with Sylvain Ghio, produced by Sketch Records. In 2008, he earned the French prize "Victoire du jazz" in the category "Revelation of the year" for the album A time for everything. In 2009, he was nominated for three "Victoires du Jazz" awards in the categories: Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (for the album Muse), and People’s Choice. Yaron’s album Muse also went on to win the iTunes title Jazz Album of the Year in 2009. He was president of the jury at the Montreux Jazz Piano Solo Competition in 2012, 2015 and 2016, and president of the Montreux Jazz Academy in 2015 and 2016.
He has performed with many well-known artists including Ambrose Akinmusire, Michel Portal, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Dominic Miller, Avishai Cohen, Pat Metheny, Lars Danielsson, Matt Brewer, Gerald Cleaver, Gilad Hekselman, Valgeir Sigurðsson, Yael Naim and Matthieu Chedid.
Other Activities
Passionate about teaching and dissecting the creative process, Yaron has spoken at a number of conferences such as TEDxParis (2015), TEDGlobal (2013), TEDxCERN (2013) and TEDxHelvetia (2012), in addition to presenting at business seminars for various corporations, including Google. In 2015, he took part in an exhibition at the Louvre Museum in Paris called "Une brève histoire de l’avenir" ("A brief history of the future"), organized by Jacques Attali. He is also a member of the "Young Leaders" program of the France China Foundation.
Yaron has composed music for television advertisements for French company Free (in collaboration with Jean-Pierre Taïeb) and bank Société Générale as well as for the international fashion house Hermès.
Influences
Yaron’s musical style has been influenced by jazz musicians such as Keith Jarrett, Paul Bley, Lennie Tristano and Brad Mehldau, and by popular music artists such as Björk and Sting. Other sources of inspiration include traditional and classical music (Alexander Scriabin, Maurice Ravel). This eclectic mix of influences is evident in his 2007 album, A Time for Everything, which includes covers of popular tracks from Britney Spears (Toxic), Leonard Cohen (Hallelujah) and The Police (Message in a Bottle).
Discography
As leader/co-leader
| Year recorded | Title | Label | Personnel/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003? | Takes 2 to Know 1 | Sketch | Duo, with Sylvain Ghio (drums, percussion) |
| 2006? | Variations | Laborie | Solo piano |
| 2006? | Suite Elegiaque | As Newtopia Project | |
| 2007? | A Time for Everything | Laborie | Trio, with Matt Brewer (bass), Gerald Cleaver (drums) |
| 2009? | Muse | Sunnyside | Most tracks trio, with Matt Brewer (bass), Gerald Cleaver (drums); some tracks with Quatuor Ebene String Quartet added |
| 2010? | Follow the White Rabbit | ACT | Trio, with Chris Tordini (bass), Tommy Crane (drums) |
| 2012 | Alter Ego | ACT | Quintet, with Emile Parisien (tenor sax, soprano sax), Logan Richardson (alto sax), Stephane Kerecki (bass), Ziv Ravitz (drums) |
| 2015? | Everyday | Blue Note | With Ziv Ravitz (drums), Helgi Jónsson (vocals) |
| 2015? | Y | Blue Note | |
| 2019 | Songs of The Degrees | Decca Records | Trio |
As sideman
- Baldych, Adam (2014). "The New Tradition". ACT Music.
- Miller, Dominic (2012). "5th House". Q-rious Music.
Other sources
- Liebmann, Nick (2003-07-31). "Monk und Ravel, Debussy und Evans". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2007-01-04.
- DrBou (2005-09-29). "Yaron Herman". Piano aux Jacobins (in French). foutraque. Retrieved 2007-01-04.
- Assoun, Rebecca (2006-06-14). "A young Israeli pianist in Paris". European Jewish Press. Retrieved 2007-01-04.
- Czarnes, Renaud (2007-10-26). "Quatre fois trois" (in French). Les Échos. Retrieved 2007-01-04.
- Kelman, John (2007-10-27). "A Time For Everything". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2007-01-04.